Hazardous Materials Response Team

The HazMat team operates as part of the Emergency Management Division. The full-time County HazMat Coordinator handles the day to day operations. The team is comprised of 30 members who come from the various Fire Stations throughout the county, who are part-time employees when they respond to an incident and during team training. Training for the HazMat team members is held twice a month to maintain the certification as HazMat Technicians. The Team operates out of a station at the Chester County Government Services in West Goshen Township. The team operates two response vehicles, a containment trailer and two mass decontamination trailers.

The principle mission of the team is to assist the Incident Commander in mitigating or minimizing the effects of a Hazardous Material incident on the population and to the property and environment of Chester County by safely controlling, containing or neutralizing the hazardous material. They also expedite cleanup and returning the scene to pre-incident conditions through contacting of the proper authorities for remediation. This is generally accomplished through an environmental cleanup contractor that has been approved through the PA Department of Environmental protection.

The HazMat Team is dispatched through Chester County 911 either by protocol or by request of a first responder agency. There is also the ability of dispatching a HazMat Staff response where one or two personnel from the team can respond to provide technical advice to the incident commander. During 2016 the HazMat Team responded to 22 incidents requiring a full team response; 31 incidents requiring a staff response. Training and conferences covering a wide variety of topics totaled 2,902 hours of training for team members in 2016.

If you are interested in more information about the Chester County Department of Emergency Services Hazardous Materials Response Team, contact Jeff Emmons, County Hazmat Coordinator at email or call 610-344-5086.